Fermentation process for the production of acetone and butyl alcohol



Tatented Dec, 5, 31222.

Iil'o Drawing.

teaser ta-rte ear CHARLES WEIZMANN, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

snare V FEBMENTA'IION PROCESS FDR THE :PRUDUGTIQN F ACETONE AND BUTYL ALCOHOL.

Application filed may 1, 1918. Serial No. 231,974.

To all whom, it may concern: suiting suga Be it known thatI, Doctor CHARLES We z- MANN, a subject of the Kingof Great Bir1ta starchy solution. Such a .body is the ain and Ireland, and residing at 67 Addison mould aspergillus oryzae or the enzymes se- Road, London, W. 14, England, have increte'd by it. Thus the heat resisting bacvented certain new and useful Improvements teria employedin this application are such in Fermentation Processes for the Producas defined above, which are found in soil processes.

mentations is or the like to the mash and then fermenting fermentation takes place. The mash conthe processes of U. S. Patents Nos. taining the malt addition is inoculated, andsoil and cereals, such as maize, rice, flax, from 6% to u9% so tion ofAcetone and Butyl Alcohol, of which and cereals such as maize, rice, flax and the the following is a specification. like and the fermenting may-take place This invention relates to the production of either under aerobic or anaerobic conditions. acetone and butyl alcohol by fermentation In carrying this-invention into effect, I

In U. S. Patent No. 1315585, the producfinely divide the kernels, and prepare a mash tion of acetone and butyl alcohol by the bactherefrom at a tem erature ranging between teriological decomposition of starchy car- 120 C. and 130 bohydrates is described. vessel to a steam pressure corresponding to The object ofthis invention is to improve this temperature. A mediumds thus ob-.

the working of the process above referred to tained which, although more acid than the when applied tocertain natural substances usual grain media, is capable of being fersolution being much less liable to froth t an the original mash which is preferably shell the chestnuts, and then by heating in a closed rich in starch which are of a nutty character, mented by the acetone organism, for exame. g., chestnuts or horse-chestnuts. Although ple, that of Patent' -No.- 1315585. The presit'is well known that natural substances of ence of s'aponines, however, tends to cause the character just referred to contain confrothing of the mash to take place. This siderable quantities of starch, they also conmay be so violent that the mash is blown out tain saponines which I find tend to cause of the vessel when the fermentation sets in violent frothing. This on large scale fer vigorously. r I

liable to have very serious results. tity (from 5 to 6 per cent) of malt to the The invention consists in producing acemash at a temperature of 609G. to 70 C. tone and butyl alcohol from natural sub-- the mass is thinned down to such an extent T find that by an addition of a small quan stances of a nutty character by adding malt that the frothing is almost negligible when 1315585 or 1329214. v ,the fermentation is found to proceed nor- The first of the patents referred to, mally, so that practically all the starch is namely, No. 1315585, refers to the fermenusedup with the productionof a mixture of tat'ion of solutions or suspensions of natural butyl alcohol and acetone. substances rich in starch or of other carbo- As one example of thisprocess I take 40 hydrates mixed with such substances'under parts of freshly peeled horse-chestnuts and aerobic or anaerobic conditions, by the use boilthem with water for anhour at a suit.- substantially inthe manner described, of ably regulated temperature of 120 0.. The heat-resisting bacteria, which are. found in mash is then made up to a concentration ofid matter and cooled etc., and which will convert the greater part down to a temperature of 60. to 7 0 C. and of maize or other grain starch into acetone from! 25 to 40 and butyl alcohol, and will also liquefy gelaadded. tine. The second of the patents, 'No. 1329214,

and butyl alcohol consisting in submitting a ing to 37 themixture' is inoculated -wi th 2'%' sterilized carbohydrate mash to the action of inoculant. of suitable moulds having a strong proteolytic action or their enzymes and fermenting and is completed after about 72Jheu-rs. the mash by the introductionof one or'more bacteria, of the amylobacter group. the usual way. j g

By malt or the like T 'referto a body I have found that-the nuts can thus be which will convert starch into sugar, the reworked up without preliminary treatment to parts of ground malt are l Fermentation sets in after '51 short time The 'mash is stirred-up with the malt for g refers to a process of producing acetone 2 to 3 hours and then sterilized. After cool-L" separate the starchy matter and that they may even be thus fermented without removal of the husks although in that case the fermentation is much slower.

It is preferred to employ, horse-chestnuts as they are not edible.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is i 1. A process for producing acetone and butyl alcohol from natural material of a nutty character, consisting in preparing a mash of the aforesaid material in water, adding malt to'the mash and then fermenting by the use of heat resisting bacteria which are found in soil and cereals, which will convert the greater part of maize and other grain starch into acetone and butyl alcohol and will also liquefy gelatine.

2. A process for producing acetone and butyl alcohol from natural material of a nutty character consisting in preparing a mash of the aforesaid material in water, adding malt tothe mash and then fermenting the mash by the introduction of bacteria of the amylobacter group.

'3. A process for producing acetone and butyl alcohol from natural material of a nutty character, consisting in preparing a mash, of the aforesaid material in water, adding malt to the mash and then fenmenting themash after sterilizing and submitting the same to the action of bodies having a a strong proteolytic action, the fermentation being effected by the introduction of bacteria of the amylobacter group. i

4. A process for producing acetone and butyl alcohol from natural material of a nutty character, consisting in preparing a mash of the aforesaid material in water,

adding malt to the mash and then fermenting by a fermenting organism together with asper illus oryzae. I

5. process for producing acetone and butyl alcohol from natural material of a nutty character, consisting in preparing a mash of the aforesaid material in water, adding malt to the mash and then fermenting under aerobic conditions by the use of heat resisting bacteria which are found in soil. and cereals, which will convert the greater part of maize and other grain starch into acetone and butyl alcohol and will also liquefy gelatine.

6. A process for producing acetone and butyl ,alcohol from natural material of a nutty character, consisting in preparing a mash of the aforesaid material'in water, adding malt to the mash and then fermenting the mash by the introduction of a -plurality of types of bacteria of the amylobace ter group.

7. In a process for the production of acetone and butyl alcohol from natural material of a nutty character,'the steps of preparting a-mash of the aforesaid material in water and treating the mash with malt for the purpose of thinning the liquor and partially removing the saponin'es or rendering them less effective from the point of view of causing frothing.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

CHARLES WEIZMANN. 

